News Luke Rockhold signs with Karate Combat, set to debut against former GLORY and Bellator veteran Joe Schilling on April 20

[mkt]

Have you seen those old school full contact karate matches? They will starch him there too

It would be interesting to see some full-contact karate guys, former TKD Olympians, etc. mixing it up with former MMA guys in Karate Combat. Or maybe that's happened? I've only seen bits and pieces of a few matches like Pettis-Bendo #3 and Chinzo Machida.

 

[mkt]

Schilling is such unlikable person with zero redeeming qualities. He truly makes me not care about fighter safety when his deciding to return to his lifeless corpse or enter Valhalla.

When Johnny Lawrence says something like that, you know it's bad!

 

[mkt]

I mean he was champion in two organizations, he reached his potential, but he just wasn't good enough to break into the "legends" category of champions.

I think it was a combination of not developing a full skillset (boxing and striking defense were his weakness), hubris/arrogance and his chin. He had the tools (height, reach, athleticism) to be a good boxer and had strong kicks when he was younger. I remember Chael saying Luke didn't train much at all between fight camps--though he always looked in shape. I wonder if he could've been a near GOAT-level fighter if he worked harder, or if his chin and occasional mental lapses would always be a thorn in his side, kind of like Arlovksi? That's the only natural defect that might have prevented him from having 3 to 5 successful title defenses. Well, MW was also pretty stacked at the time with prime Yoel, Jacare, up-and-coming Whittaker, Mousasi, etc.

 

[KoreanZawmbie]

lol...battle of the most battered chins.

 

[Gotosleepho]

I hope it ends in a double knockout.

 

[jitzmonkey]

Luke actually had a good kicking about 10 years ago (see Costa Philippou fight). However, that dwindled over time, probably due to injuries. He's never been a good boxer or had good striking defense. In his prime, he could usually mask that weakness with good footwork, athleticism, kicks and the threat of a TD. None of that will come into play in Karate Combat. I'd like to see Luke win, but don't know what he brings to this event.

Wasn't he pretty decent with upper body throws?
I believe that they can do single legs in Karate Combat, too.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

The day has come where I will root for Luke Rockhold. Joe's Schilling is a massive POS.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

that's an awesome scrap. when's the last time Schilling competed?

Look one post below yours.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Isn't Rockhold a BJJ guy? So he he signs up to fight karate? WTF

Also, why are GSP and Baas in the picture? They coaches?

Karate Combat does grappling as well. Gillian Robertson just competed and won so I imagine Lukey boy will dabble in both. Gillian still signed with UFC so only allowed to do the grappling. Bas and GSP are commentators.

 

[mkt]

Wasn't he pretty decent with upper body throws?
I believe that they can do single legs in Karate Combat, too.

Yeah, and I didn't realize how chinny and inconsistent Schilling is...and he's 40. So this could go either way...and potentially be pretty sloppy and ugly.

 

[Richard Fannin]

Luke Rockhold’s post-UFC journey continues with a foray into the Karate Combat pit.

Former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Rockhold has signed a contract with Karate Combat and will make his debut at Karate Combat 45 on April 20 in Dubai against former GLORY and Bellator veteran Joe Schilling.

Both athletes announced the booking on Wednesday. No weight class was revealed for the contest:

Fuck yeah!

Rockhold has been my official "you'll see, one day this guy will make a come back à la Robbie Lawler/Andrei Arlovski/Mark Hunt/Cro Cop" pick for 8 years now, when he lost to Bisping in their rematch in a massive upset.

I've never been a Joe Schilling fan, especially after he was salty & talked smack about my countryman Hisaki "The Japanese Musketeer" Kato after their Bellator MMA bout a decade or so ago and demanded a fast rematch under kickboxing rules and got KO'd again in glorious fashion


Anyway, going back to Luke, in the UFC he's lost to top competition only (if we exclude the Bisping rematch fluke, but Michael was on a mean streak at the time), and was competitive against Paulo Costa for his last bout there

Then last year he fought the best BKFC had to offer in "Platinum" Mike Perry and as predicted by pretty much everyone, the favorite out-punched & out-toughed Luke, who was never known who his punching prowess and more for his slick ground game and kicks.

For this bout, under Karate Combat rules, he's sadly isn't going to show us any crazy submissions but at least he can kick Schilling's face in.
The fact that elbows aren't allowed would play in his favor though, since Schilling is a Muay-Thai guy.

Problem is, Joe might be a dick, he might have a glass jaw by now, he might be kinda punch drunk;
(wasn't that the reason that Bellator scratched him of their roster after Schilling wasn't medically cleared to fight on their Bellator 249 card, which was kinda cursed since they also lost their co-main event when Patricky Pitbull got a pretty bad ear problem the night of the fight and had to pull out last second)

... but he can still probably kick and punch like a mule.

Speaking of glass jaws, that's the one thing I've always disagreed with when Sherdoggers bash Rockhold
Dude got KTFO by powerhouses like prime Yoel Romero and Jan "Polish Power" Blachowicz (for what would be Luke's only fight at 205 before going down to 185), it's not like he was getting demolished by lower-class fighters...

Rockhold has kept training all this time, after all he was signed for a pro-grappling bout against Craig Jones in late 2023, and even if the event was sadly cancelled, it at least shows that Luke has been active and wasn't just sitting around getting fat.

Since he's currently coaching opposite of Tyron Woodley in a TUF knock-off show, I assume he has a good team around him

Anyway, pumped for that event

Karate Combat has been putting up some interesting match-ups, I hope the rest of the card is good too!

WAR LUKE
(I know he's heavily disliked on Sherdog, but I've been a fan since his Strikeforce days, when he went 9-0 in the promotion, finishing everyone except for prime Jacaré Souza for the title (who was a massive favorite)


& prime Tim Kennedy (who got his shot at the belt by beating Robbie Lawler & Melvin Manhoef, not too shabby) for his second defense.

I've been a supporter ever since, and I really hope that this Karate Combat fight ends up being a good thing for his career, and not just a one-time stunt like BKFC.
If Luke thrives there, he might make a return to MMA, and slowly build himself back up like, I dunno, all the other guys we deemed done and actually made nice come-backs

 

[Richard Fannin]

Karate Combat does grappling as well. Gillian Robertson just competed and won so I imagine Lukey boy will dabble in both. Gillian still signed with UFC so only allowed to do the grappling. Bas and GSP are commentators.

Well yes Karate Combat does have pro-grappling bouts sprinkled here and there (last week the co-main was a grappling bout between Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante & Gregor Gracie), but for the regular Karate fights, you can't submit your opponent.

You can only spend 5 seconds on the ground, where the 2 combatants can only punch each other (upkicks are allowed to a standing opponent) but you can't wrestle your opponent to the ground... what you can do is knock him down and then follow up with some punches while he's down.

Good alternative to stand-up counts, and it really differentiates the ruleset from kickboxing & muay thai.

 

[beater81]

Easy W for Rockhold. Schilling hasn't been legit since his Glory days.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Well yes Karate Combat does have pro-grappling bouts sprinkled here and there (last week the co-main was a grappling bout between Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante & Gregor Gracie), but for the regular Karate fights, you can't submit your opponent.

You can only spend 5 seconds on the ground, where the 2 combatants can only punch each other (upkicks are allowed to a standing opponent) but you can't wrestle your opponent to the ground... what you can do is knock him down and then follow up with some punches while he's down.

Good alternative to stand-up counts, and it really differentiates the ruleset from kickboxing & muay thai.

Ok first off I used the word "both" in my post so that clearly indicates I know that the grappling matches are seperate from the Karate fights

Second you are wrong they are allowed to keep the GnP going for as long as the strikes are landing effectively

Third you're a Goof/ just kidding about that part.

 

[TITS]

Ok first off I used the word "both" in my post so that clearly indicates I know that the grappling matches are seperate from the Karate fights

Second you are wrong they are allowed to keep the GnP going for as long as the strikes are landing effectively

Third you're a Goof/ just kidding about that part.

 

[Richard Fannin]

he is not. He just lost the heavyweight title last weekend.

No he didn't lose the belt, the fight was declared a No Contest after Antonio Aroyo headbutted Smilin' Sam so bad it KO'd him

Karate Combat 🥋 on Instagram: "Regrettably, the bout between Sam Alvey and Antonio Arroyo has been declared a no-contest due to an accidental headbutt that led to the TKO. #KCK2 | LIVE NOW | #FreeOnYoutube"

7,773 likes, 342 comments - karatecombat on March 23, 2024: "Regrettably, the bout between Sam Alvey and Antonio Arroyo has been declared a no-contest due to an accidental headbutt that led to the T..."

www.instagram.com

 

[GordonMMARamsey]

Too bad we didn't get to see this fight.

Phil Baroni on Joe Schilling: 'I’ve just never had a guy talk so much sh-t'

While many in the MMA community have become fans of Joe Schilling since his explosive Bellator MMA knockout of Melvin Manhoef at Bellator 131, Phil Baroni has grown to despise the middleweight stri…

mmajunkie.usatoday.com

“Just talking some sh-t,” Baroni said. “He’s a punk. He’s got a big mouth. I’ll crush that guy – easy. I’ll beat him any way I want. Guaran-damn-teed.”

Imagine this guy calling someone a punk.

 

[Richard Fannin]

Ok first off I used the word "both" in my post so that clearly indicates I know that the grappling matches are seperate from the Karate fights

Second you are wrong they are allowed to keep the GnP going for as long as the strikes are landing effectively

Third you're a Goof/ just kidding about that part.

Well, to be faAaAaAir, in the context of this particular fight & the post you were replying to, I did believe that you were saying that Luke would be able to grapple against Schilling...

Maybe I read your post too fast, I dunno, but since lots of people are confused about the rules of Karate Combat, I figured I might as well post the official rules

To reply to your second post, I don't know who is right and who is wrong, in this video with Bas Rutten & GSP they clearly state that even if they rain down perfect GnP, they aren't allowed to do it for more than 5 seconds before the fight is stood up.

Bas even stresses out that 5 seconds might seem short to the spectator, but it's a long time if you're on the ground

... on the other hand, on the website, they say that

During the fighting action when one fighter becomes grounded* the ground and pound will be allowed to continue as long as the strikes are effective. If a grounded fighter is able to wrap up, kick the opponent off or get back up, the ref will pause the fight and stand the fighters up. So as long as punches continue to land, the fighter will be allowed to ground and pound.

They don't even mention a time limit... so, not sure what's up with that.

To clarify what I said about not being allowed to "wrestle" your opponent down, in the rules they clarify that single & double leg takedowns are forbidden.
But you can use Karate throws, so I was wrong about that part, the rules are a bit confusing.
Cheers

 

[BEATDOWNS]

Well, to be faAaAaAir, in the context of this particular fight & the post you were replying to, I did believe that you were saying that Luke would be able to grapple against Schilling...

Maybe I read your post too fast, I dunno, but since lots of people are confused about the rules of Karate Combat, I figured I might as well post the official rules

To reply to your second post, I don't know who is right and who is wrong, in this video with Bas Rutten & GSP they clearly state that even if they rain down perfect GnP, they aren't allowed to do it for more than 5 seconds before the fight is stood up.

Bas even stresses out that 5 seconds might seem short to the spectator, but it's a long time if you're on the ground

... on the other hand, on the website, they say that


They don't even mention a time limit... so, not sure what's up with that.

To clarify what I said about not being allowed to "wrestle" your opponent down, in the rules they clarify that single & double leg takedowns are forbidden.
But you can use Karate throws, so I was wrong about that part, the rules are a bit confusing.
Cheers

all good man my post wasn't totally clear but you posted an old rule set that is a one year old video the rules have since been changed.

• During the fighting action when one fighter becomes grounded* the ground and pound will be allowed to continue as long as the strikes are effective. If a grounded fighter is able to wrap up, kick the opponent off or get back up, the ref will pause the fight and stand the fighters up. So as long as punches continue to land, the fighter will be allowed to ground and pound.
• *The definition of a grounded fighter is determined by the regulatory jurisdiction if it differs in any way from the definition provided below: A fighter is considered grounded when any part of the body other than the soles of their feet are touching the fighting area floor
• Note that the Pit Wall is NOT considered the ground. In reference to the pit wall, a fighter shall only be considered grounded if he is directly facing the wall and has both hands on it. In this scenario the referee will indicate the start of the countdown.
• When a fighter is attacking his downed opponent, he may do so only with hand strikes and he must maintain an upright and controlled position while attacking. When one of the fighters considered grounded ridge-hand strikes are not allowed. The “top” fighter may place a single knee on his downed opponent body or besides his downed, but once a second knee goes (and stays) down, or both fighters are considered grounded, the referee will stop the action, stand the fighters and immediately restart the action from that same position in the pit.

https://karate.com/en/rules-and-regulations

 

[NicholasJBasile]

he is not. He just lost the heavyweight title last weekend.

My bad -- I thought it was a no contest due to clash of heads lol